Chapter 2: The Ballad of Minerva
(Mlp is owned by hasbro and Lauren Faust, the rest of the ocs are mines) Dream was a small colt now, able to talk and walk. He was finally capable of going to school with ponies his age. He was with Grief, walking through the streets of Skiesperexas. It was a skyscraper filled city. Grief wore a green trench coat hiding his sword. He didn't want anypony finding out he was a swordspony.
"Big brother, it feels great being outside." Dream said nuzzling his head on his brother's right foreleg.
Grief glances at him smiling and says, "What do you mean, Dream? I find nothing special about the outside at all." He looked up at the gray sky annoyed. "It's always the same thing that I see going on around us. Sky's gray, nopony interesting to talk with. Ponies living miserable lives while they complain about it instead of doing anything about it." He said, looking back at his little brother.
"Well, I don't see the outside world or this city like that. I just think everypony is busy with their daily life, like jobs or family stuff." Dream said, smiling at Grief as he walked backwards in front of him.
"Dream, if only you knew the things that go on outside of this city. Anyway, how was school?" Grief asked calmly.
"School was alright, but it was also weird." Dream said earning a confused look from his older brother.
"Weird, what was weird about it?" Grief asked curiously.
"Well for one, a weird pony in a cloak came up to me and said that the black lamb is shadowing me. I have no idea what that even means, so I went on and had fun in recess." Dream said, turning around so he could walk straight instead of backwards.
"Did you get a good look at this pony?" Grief asked in concerned tone.
"No, not really brother, that hood did a good job at hiding his face." Dream said calmly.
"Was that all he did, Dream?" Grief asked, biting his brother's tail gently causing him stop in the center sidewalk. "He didn't hurt you or do anything to your body, right?" He asked, letting his tail go. Dream turned around to him and shook his head no.
"Nope, nothing at all." Dream said sitting on his haunches.
Grief hoped that was true, finding out that his own little brother was harmed by a stranger. The city, perhaps the world, was endangered from his wrath. "Okay, remember brother, you have to tell me that if a pony hurts you in any sort of way, you have to tell me." He said, earning a nod from him.
Soon, after a two hour walk home, the two brothers entered into their home heading into the kitchen. A mare was standing on her hindlegs washing dishes. Her coat was gray and her mane was black with blue highlights at the end. Turning her head around, her red blood eyes were staring at theirs. "How was school Dream?" She asked. She sounded peaceful and beautiful, looks included, with a honey tongue.
Dream smiles as he runs up to his mother, hugging her tight with both of his forelegs. "It was great, mother." He said with an excited tone.
Dream's mother smiles rubbing her son's mane. "That's great to hear, Dream." She said before glancing up at Grief who was looking out the window with a gloomy expression. "Dream, go to your room, mommy needs to talk to your brother alone." She said, letting him down.
Dream nods his head and looks at Grief. "Are you going to teach me how to play the Cello called Tso?" He asked walking up to him.
"Not today baby brother, maybe tomorrow. Now go to your room like mother said to." Grief said calmly smiling at Dream.
The small colt nodded his head before he headed off to his room, leaving the two grown ponies. The two ponies stared at each other with an expression of sorrow. "Daniel came by again." Grief's mother said, causing Grief to look away which only angered her.
"Stop looking away from me Grief, I already told you not to trust that degenerate. Not only did he enslave a few of our great ancestors that founded this cult, he nearly killed us." She said.
"Mother, he's changed; he isn't the same like he was before. Plus, I lost my new mercenary contractor. The previous one died of a heart failure. Nothing bad has happened so far nor will it ever begin to." Grief said, looking at her angrily.
"Daniel is no contractor; he is an evil man who eliminated the head leaders of Azazel's and Samuel's cults in Bristila. He caused that entire island to plunge into the dark murky waters of Leviathan. That pony is death's harbinger created from a mad scientist that ran the prison of Syoku." His mother said, causing Grief to stomp his on the ground making her silent.
"He's different, his father was mad because he found out Daniel was immune to every disease and sickness known to pony. He had the blood of Ragnarok. What he did was prove to us that our faiths were dying because of the great split!" Grief said in a furious tone.
"What will make you side with this monster?" She asked in a frighten tone. Grief picked up on her frightened tone and looked down ashamed. He's not usually like this towards his mother. To see her frightened from another pony angered him, to see her become frighten of him only shocked him.
"Mother, I'm sorry, but, I...I trust him. I've seen and learned about the things he had done. I'll continue to work with him, but that doesn't mean that I'm breaking away from my faith." Grief said, looking at her.
His mother looked away, biting her lower lip; saddened from her son's decision. "F-fine, but...you better keep him away from Dream." She said, glaring at him. Grief could see that motherly side of her. She'll kill anything that would harm Dream.
"Yes mother, now, do you wish to talk to me about anything else?" Grief asked.
"Insane is here, waiting for you in your room. He's progressing through the ranks and is soon to be by Lord Azazel's side." She said calmly as her saddened expression and low tone of sorrow were replaced by features matching her tone.
"Thank you for the information, mother." Grief said, walking out of the kitchen.
When he soon got to his room, Grief glanced left and right, looking down the hallway. He always checked his surroundings before entering into a room. When the coast was clear, he entered into his room, seeing Insane watching Dream holding his cello. Dream was playing a soft song carefully scratching the chords. While he was playing the cello, his mate was busy humming along with his cello instrumental.
"Hmm, hmm hmm, hm hmmm, hmmm hm hm hm hmm." Insane hummed.
Grief watched as Dream played the cello so perfectly. He was truly fantastic with it. But it felt odd to Grief. He never taught his little brother how to play the cello. Looking at Dream's foreleg movements reminded him of their mother. After twenty whole minutes of watching his brother play perfectly with his string instrumental.
"The Ballad of Minerva, did mother teach you that, brother?" Grief asked calmly, catching Dream's and Insane's attention.
"B-brother, were you were watching me?" Dream asked nervously.
"Of course, that was amazing." Grief said walking towards him. "I'm impressed, baby brother." He said, patting his head.
"Thank you, Teraiska!" Dream said, smiling through his brother's praise towards him.
"Freshajaks." Grief said.
"Dream, come down stairs, mommy needs to talk to you!" Grief heard his mother yell.
"Go baby brother, we'll talk about this later." Grief said, motioning Dream to leave his room. His little brother nodded and ran out of his room. Looking at the smiling stallion, Grief closed the door and locked it. "So, I heard about this promotion of yours, am I correct?" He asked, walking towards him with a grin upon his face.
Insane grins back and says, "Yes, that's true." He was pushed back on to the bed. Grief went on top of him. "This sets us closer to our plans upon this cult. Finally, we're almost there to Paradise." He said happily.
"Paradise is at our reach and soon we will both be out of this world, just you and I." Insane said, before he pressed his lips against his.
'Paradise, we'll obtain just like the Zazibac cult did.' Grief thought, but his train of thought was eventually broken when he heard a knock on his door. Stopping their make-out session, Grief hopped off his bed, walking towards the door to see who it was that was intervening.
When he opens the door, he gasps. "Father, w-what is it?" He asked, starring at his hooded father.
"We need to go see Julius immediatly." Lucifer said, sounding concerned.
"Why, what's going on, father?" Grief asked becoming worried.
"There's no time for explanation, we need to go now." Lucifer said walking away.
Grief looks back at Insane and says in a saddened tone, "Sorry love, but I have to go now, I'll be back." He earned a nod from Insane and nodded back before he ran off, catching up with his father.
Soon the two were outside entering into a tunnel passage found in an alley. Grief glanced at his father who bore a frighten expression upon his face. Something didn't feel right to him; his father was never like this. His father was brave and never afraid, but right now those two personalities were slowly fading away. Whatever was bothering him had to be serious.
Soon the two stopped in front of a door that had a black triangle with a hand print in the center that had an eye in the center of the hand. Lucifer opened the door, revealing an office on the inside. As they entered into the room, the door behind them closed with the sound of a click being heard at the end. Grief then turned around and gasped when a large talon belonging to a gray griffin wearing an officer hat, squeezed his throat and lifted him up into the air.
"You..." The griffin growled as he squeezed harder, causing Grief to struggle more so he can gain air. The griffin's grip was strong and if he didn't find some way out of it, he might die of suffocation. "The world's second strongest sword amongst the seven. You have a huge bounty on your head and I'm sure my prison wouldn't mind storing it in its cells." The gray eyed griffin said angrily.
"Raijin, let him go, we never called you to arrest my son." Lucifer said glaring at him.
Raijin glares back says, "To be your corrector, you haven't even told me once why you needed me here, even though you know I'm not part of this cult anymore." Raijin said, releasing his grip on Grief's neck, causing him to fall flat down on the ground coughing.
"That's because I needed Grief here to. Now, that you two are here, Archbishop Julius can talk." Lucifer said, looking at the dark cloaked pony figure sitting in his seat.
'How did he get there? I could have sworn that seat was empty.' Grief wondered.
"Gentlecolts and griffin, I received reports from the far off regions of Jordan, that the body of Beezlebub was discovered in the tomb of Akuma. Now that his body is uncovered, we are now one step away from reaching Paradise." Julius said, grinning.
"What's so special about this corpse?" Raijin asked, looking at Julius.
"What's special about it is that, Beezlebub is one of the first Azazelists before the split. He knew how to open Paradise, but failed after he was assassinated by a Samuelnist." Grief said, looking at Raijin.
"So, is that you needed me here for?" Raijin asked.
"We needed you two here so you can retrieve the body for us. It's located in Canterlot, guarded by the members of the Sasora family." Julius said, earning two shocked looks coming from the two sword wielders.
"No, going up against them will spark a war with the griffin kingdom." Raijin said, glaring at Julius angrily. "I'm not participating in this dog fetching shit." He said.
"So, you would turn down this opportunity to control your own army?" Lucifer asked, looking at Raijin.
"Yes, accepting this offer is pointless to me. If I wanted to lead my own army, I'll do it my way." Raijin said, walking towards the exit.
"So, you flee like a chicken, instead of profiling your dreams to rule your home country with an iron talon. I know you griffins despise Stalliongrad, wouldn't it feel great to get rid of them?" Julius asked, causing Raijin to stop dead in his tracks. The griffin turned around and held out his right arm. A black katana started sliding out the palm of his talon. When the sword was completely out, he grabbed the handle and pointed it at Julius.
Lucifer and Grief quickly leaped in front of Julius, preparing themselves to defend him against any attacks this griffin had planned to pull off. "I'm no chicken, foal. I hate Stalliongrad, I a'tta burn that entire country down myself. What I'm doing isn't cowardice, no, it's smart." Raijin said, before his talon started glowing dark. His sword started getting sucked in within his dark claw. "Good day." He said sarcastically before he left the office.
Grief and Lucifer both sigh in relief that he didn't attack. "You forgot to bring your sword." Lucifer said, looking at Grief.
"Sorry, forgot about it at home." Grief said, chuckling nervously.
"The mission is up to you now, Grief." Julius said, looking at Grief.
"Yeah, I guess it is." Grief said calmly.
"Now that this is settled, you are both dismissed." Julius said motioning them to leave.
In a colossal temple, located far in the north of Talos and Fujisn, a dark cloaked pony was holding a dark book while sitting in the center of the circular floor within the center of the temple. Around this pony were fifteen more cloaked ponies holding white books. The cloaked pony in the center pulled down his hood revealing his facial appearance. This pony was indeed male with a messy blond mane surrounding his entire neck.
Holding his right hoof up, the stallion started twirling his hoof. "Quid enim mundus rumpunt fides salvare (Why do we break our faiths for this world to be saved)..." He motioned the fifteen ponies to sing then started moving his hoof in the air in a zigzag pattern. "Consequimur cuncti et eduxisti nos de tenebris cordis (From the dark hearts we all follow to lead us away)..." The stallion then slowly waves his hoof in a smooth ocean like current. "Ex hoc vero quod omnes superstites et postridie adiuvet (From the truth that we all made to help us survive on this and the next day)?" The ponies sung.
The stallion grinned as his messy mane blocked a little of his red eyes moving his hoof in gentle movements while the ponies sung. "Avarus enim est iracundia aut vitam gerimus animos (Is it for our greedy lives or for the anger that we bear in our hearts)? Sumus trully intelligitur occideret deum nostrum transposuit nos hic (Are we truly meant to kill when our gods put us here)?" They sung.
Grief suddenly woke up in his bed, covered in beads of sweat. "That dream, that was..., "Grief, it's time to get up!" Grief was cut off by the sound of Dream, coming from the other side his door.
Rubbing his forehead, Grief sighs trying to forget about his dream that he had. "I better go." He muttered to himself.
To be continued
